South Carolina Landscape Architect
Licensed Landscape Architecture Firm Headquartered
in South Carolina
Serving Developers, Engineers, and Architects Statewide | SC COA #412 | Founded 2005
Our licensed Registered Landscape Architects hold credentials recognized by the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Evergreen Design Group is a licensed South Carolina landscape architect firm headquartered in Bluffton, SC, with active practice across the state’s Lowcountry, Midlands, and Upstate regions. We hold South Carolina Certificate of Authorization Number 412 and have been in continuous practice since 2005. We work exclusively with land developers, civil engineers, architects, and design-build contractors on commercial, mixed-use, multifamily, industrial, and institutional projects throughout South Carolina. We do not design for individual homeowners.
Our Bluffton headquarters gives us direct familiarity with Lowcountry permitting environments, coastal ecological conditions, CAMA requirements, and the SCDHEC stormwater framework that governs development across the coastal plain. That local grounding, combined with active licensure in more than 40 states, means we bring both site-specific South Carolina expertise and the production capacity to keep complex, multi-phase projects on schedule.
We work as a coordinated subconsultant and project partner to development and design teams, and our deliverables are structured for permit submittal, technical review, and direct integration with your civil and architectural scope. Every service we provide is performed in-house by our licensed professionals — we do not subcontract your landscape architecture, land planning, or irrigation design scope to third parties.
Landscape Architecture Services We Provide in South Carolina
Evergreen Design Group functions as a single-source design partner for landscape architecture, land planning, and irrigation design in South Carolina. Every service is performed in-house by our licensed professionals with no subcontracting of scope. Your project team works with one firm, coordinated across all landscape-related disciplines, from initial site analysis through permit-ready construction documents.
Site layout, open space planning, and land use analysis tailored to South Carolina’s zoning and municipal entitlement requirements. Our land planning services integrate directly with your civil engineer’s site layout, addressing open space configurations, buffer yard requirements, tree preservation zone integration, stormwater BMP siting, and streetscape frameworks that satisfy the applicable jurisdiction’s development review standards from the first submittal.
Land planning in South Carolina requires jurisdiction-specific knowledge that varies considerably across the state’s three regions. In the Lowcountry, land planning must address CAMA setbacks, wetland buffer requirements, and SCDHEC coastal development standards early in the design process — before the civil plan set is substantially developed. In the Midlands and Upstate, land planning constraints shift toward urban tree ordinance compliance, stormwater BMP siting, and municipal landscape buffer requirements specific to each jurisdiction. We coordinate these constraints with your civil engineer from the initial site layout stage, which is where entitlement schedules are protected or lost.
Climate-appropriate planting plans using native and adaptive species suited to the Lowcountry, Midlands, and Upstate. South Carolina’s diversity of ecological conditions — from the coastal plain’s high water tables and salt exposure to the Midlands’ heavy clay soils and the Upstate’s steeper terrain — means that planting plans must be calibrated to the specific region and site conditions of each project, not pulled from a generic regional template.
In the Lowcountry, we specify salt-tolerant and storm-resilient species with demonstrated coastal plain performance: live oak, cabbage palm, wax myrtle, bald cypress, muhly grass, yaupon holly, and other species suited to high water tables and salt spray exposure. In the Midlands and Upstate, species selection accounts for red clay drainage constraints, summer heat load, and the tree canopy and shade requirements embedded in the landscape ordinances of Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg, and surrounding jurisdictions. Municipal canopy requirements, buffer ordinance compliance, and invasive species restrictions are incorporated into every South Carolina planting plan as baseline parameters.
Tree surveys, preservation plans, and mitigation strategies that satisfy county arborist and municipal tree ordinance requirements across South Carolina. Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, and many other South Carolina municipalities maintain tree preservation ordinances that require mitigation planting or fees-in-lieu when significant trees are removed. We research and apply the specific standards of the project’s jurisdiction — not a generic statewide standard — and coordinate tree disposition documentation with your grading plan and permit package from the outset.
Our tree disposition plans include field-verified inventories, species and caliper documentation, condition assessment, critical root zone delineation, regulated removal impact analysis, mitigation ratio calculations, and replacement planting specifications. All plans are formatted to support the applicable jurisdiction’s development review submittal and coordinated directly with your civil engineer throughout the permit process.
Efficient irrigation systems designed around South Carolina’s seasonal rainfall patterns, regional soil conditions, and local water conservation ordinance requirements. Our irrigation design team produces zoned system layouts, controller and equipment specifications, drip and subsurface system designs, flow and pressure calculations, backflow prevention documentation, and water budget calculations formatted to support commercial permit review.
Irrigation design in the Lowcountry requires specific calibration for coastal sandy and mixed soils, salt air exposure, and the variable rainfall concentration of the region’s wet season. In the Midlands and Upstate, design parameters shift toward clay soil drainage behavior, municipal water use efficiency requirements, and the higher summer evapotranspiration rates that drive irrigation demand inland. All South Carolina irrigation designs address applicable local water conservation ordinance requirements as baseline parameters and are coordinated in-house with our landscape architecture scope throughout the design process.
Pool surrounds, clubhouse areas, dog parks, fitness courts, multi-use trails, and structured outdoor recreation spaces for residential communities, build-to-rent developments, and mixed-use projects across South Carolina. Designs are developed to HOA standards, applicable building codes, ADA accessibility requirements, and the operational demands of South Carolina’s climate — including coastal humidity and UV conditions in the Lowcountry and the freeze-thaw cycles that affect material selection in the Upstate. Shade provision, heat-reflective paving materials, and storm-resilient planting are standard design parameters on all South Carolina amenity scope.
Permeable paving, plaza design, pedestrian walkways, entry monumentation, seat walls, retaining structures, and storm-resilient hardscape solutions for coastal and inland commercial sites across South Carolina. In the Lowcountry, hardscape material selection must account for coastal salt air exposure, frequent rainfall and surface drainage requirements, flood event performance, and — on Charleston historic district-adjacent projects — materials compatibility with Board of Architectural Review design standards. In the Midlands and Upstate, specifications shift toward thermal cycling durability, clay soil drainage integration, and municipal impervious surface standards. All hardscape documentation is coordinated directly with your civil and architectural drawings.
Why South Carolina Project Teams Choose Evergreen Design Group
Headquartered in South Carolina — SC COA #412. Our corporate headquarters are in Bluffton, SC — not a regional branch office. We hold South Carolina Certificate of Authorization Number 412 and have been licensed to practice landscape architecture in South Carolina since 2005. We understand the permitting climate in Beaufort County, the plant palette for the coastal plain, and the expectations of South Carolina municipal review boards from direct, sustained experience.
Licensed Landscape Architecture Firm — In-House, No Subcontracting. Every service we deliver — land planning, landscape architecture, tree disposition plans, and irrigation design — is performed in-house by our licensed professionals. We do not subcontract your scope to third parties. That means consistent quality, clear accountability, and a single point of coordination for your civil and architectural team throughout the project.
Single-Source Design Capability. Land planning, landscape architecture, and irrigation design — all under one roof. Fewer coordination gaps, a single point of accountability, and consistent documentation standards across every drawing package. For South Carolina project teams managing tight entitlement and permitting timelines, a single-source landscape consultant reduces coordination overhead and eliminates gaps between discipline drawing sets.
Deep South Carolina Regulatory Knowledge. CAMA setbacks, SCDHEC coastal buffer and stormwater requirements, Charleston’s BAR review process, and the varying tree ordinance frameworks of the state’s major municipalities are not generic knowledge. We understand how these requirements affect development scope and design decisions, and we incorporate them from the site planning stage forward — not as permit submittal corrections.
Production Capacity for Multi-Site Programs. For developers and contractors managing multiple South Carolina sites or phased development programs, our program management services are built for that. We maintain consistent design standards and documentation across your entire portfolio, regardless of scale or timeline, with coordinated submittal schedules across multiple concurrent project sites.
21 Years of National Practice, Active South Carolina Presence. We have been in practice since 2005 and have completed commercial landscape architecture projects across retail centers, multifamily and build-to-rent communities, industrial and logistics campuses, healthcare facilities, civic spaces, and mixed-use developments. Our national breadth is paired with genuine Lowcountry and South Carolina market depth — not a claim of familiarity based on proximity.
Designing for South Carolina’s Three Distinct Regions
South Carolina presents three distinct design environments. Each region carries its own soil conditions, regulatory requirements, stormwater context, and plant palette. Our team structures every project around these regional realities — not a single statewide template.
Lowcountry — Charleston, Bluffton, Hilton Head, Beaufort, Myrtle Beach
Lowcountry projects require a clear-eyed understanding of coastal floodplain regulations, CAMA setbacks, wetland buffer requirements, and SCDHEC stormwater permitting. Soil conditions present real design challenges — poor drainage, high water tables, and saltwater intrusion are common across coastal plain development sites. Plant selections must be salt-tolerant and storm-resilient, and hardscape details need to account for flood event performance, not just visual design. Our Bluffton headquarters gives our team direct, day-to-day familiarity with Beaufort County permitting, the Lowcountry’s coastal development environment, and the regulatory agencies that govern commercial projects across the region.
The Charleston metro introduces an additional layer of regulatory complexity through the City’s Board of Architectural Review, which enforces strict guidelines on hardscape materials, landscape character, and planting within historic overlay zones. Projects with any Charleston historic district adjacency require landscape architecture scope that accounts for BAR standards from the initial design stage. We design to those standards from the outset, reducing the likelihood of costly revisions at the review stage.
Midlands — Columbia, Lexington, Sumter, Florence, Aiken
The Midlands present a different set of design and regulatory challenges: dense red clay soils that compact easily, flash flooding risk after heavy rain events, and growing urban heat pressures in the Columbia metro. Stormwater management is a primary design concern on nearly every Midlands commercial site, and planting design must account for compaction-sensitive soil conditions, intense summer heat, and the tree canopy and landscape buffer requirements maintained by Columbia, Lexington, and surrounding jurisdictions. Our land planning and planting designs address these conditions as foundational parameters, not site-specific exceptions.The Midlands present a different set of design and regulatory challenges: dense red clay soils that compact easily, flash flooding risk after heavy rain events, and growing urban heat pressures in the Columbia metro. Stormwater management is a primary design concern on nearly every Midlands commercial site, and planting design must account for compaction-sensitive soil conditions, intense summer heat, and the tree canopy and landscape buffer requirements maintained by Columbia, Lexington, and surrounding jurisdictions. Our land planning and planting designs address these conditions as foundational parameters, not site-specific exceptions.d
Upstate — Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Rock Hill, Fort Mill
Upstate South Carolina’s terrain introduces slope stabilization and erosion control as central design variables on commercial development sites. Steeper grades require thoughtful grading coordination, retaining structure design, and planted slope stabilization strategies. The Upstate’s cooler climate relative to the coast supports a broader native plant palette, and municipal review environments in Greenville and Spartanburg have become increasingly active as both cities have grown into significant commercial development markets. Rock Hill and Fort Mill — part of the Charlotte metro’s growth corridor — have also emerged as high-activity markets requiring familiarity with both South Carolina and adjacent North Carolina regulatory frameworks.
Project Types We Support in South Carolina
Evergreen Design Group supports landscape architecture and land planning scope across a wide range of commercial development types throughout South Carolina. All project work is B2B — performed for developers, civil engineers, architects, and design-build contractors. Our active project types include:
- Single-family residential subdivisions and master-planned communities
- Multifamily and build-to-rent communities
- Mixed-use and town center developments
- Retail centers, pad sites, and commercial outparcels
- Office and corporate campus projects
- Industrial parks, logistics facilities, and manufacturing campuses
- Senior living and continuing care communities
- Healthcare and medical campus environments
- Hospitality and resort-adjacent development
- Municipal parks and civic facilities
- Educational and university-adjacent development
- Coastal and historic district infill projects requiring specialized regulatory documentation
Frequently Asked Questions — South Carolina Landscape Architecture
Yes. We work exclusively with commercial clients — land developers, civil engineers, architects, and design-build contractors. We do not design projects for individual homeowners.
We offer land planning, planting design, tree disposition plans, irrigation design, hardscape design, and community amenity design. All services are available for commercial projects across South Carolina’s Lowcountry, Midlands, and Upstate regions, and all services are performed in-house by our licensed professionals with no subcontracting of scope.
Yes. Evergreen Design Group holds South Carolina Certificate of Authorization (COA) Number 412 and has been licensed to practice landscape architecture in South Carolina since 2005. Landscape architecture in South Carolina is regulated by the South Carolina Board of Landscape Architectural Examiners. All landscape architectural services for South Carolina projects are performed under our SC COA by our licensed professionals.
Yes. Through our program management services, we coordinate landscape design across multiple sites simultaneously — maintaining consistent quality, documentation standards, and communication throughout your development program. This is particularly valuable for multifamily, build-to-rent, and commercial developers managing parallel entitlement timelines across multiple South Carolina jurisdictions.
Land planning in South Carolina involves developing site plans, open space configurations, buffer yard layouts, tree preservation zone integration, stormwater BMP siting, and streetscape frameworks that satisfy the applicable jurisdiction’s zoning and development review requirements. In the Lowcountry, land planning must address CAMA setbacks, wetland buffers, and SCDHEC coastal development standards. In the Midlands and Upstate, land planning constraints center on tree ordinance compliance, stormwater BMP integration, and municipal buffer requirements. Our land planning services are performed in-house and coordinated directly with your civil engineer from the initial site layout stage.
Yes. We are familiar with Charleston’s Board of Architectural Review process and the landscape character, materials, and planting standards that apply within the city’s historic overlay zones. We design to BAR standards from the outset on all projects with Charleston historic district adjacency, reducing the likelihood of revision cycles at the review stage
Yes. While our headquarters are in Bluffton in the Lowcountry, we actively serve projects across South Carolina’s Midlands and Upstate regions — including Columbia, Lexington, Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Rock Hill, and Fort Mill. Each region’s site conditions, regulatory environment, and municipal review processes differ, and we calibrate our approach to the specific jurisdiction and site conditions of each project.
Yes — that is one of our most common engagement structures across the state. We integrate into your project team and deliver the full landscape architecture scope as a subconsultant, coordinating directly with your project manager and other disciplines throughout the design and entitlement process.
As early as possible — ideally at the site planning stage, before the civil plan set is substantially developed. Early engagement allows CAMA setbacks and wetland buffers, tree ordinance compliance zones, stormwater BMP locations, and municipal landscape requirements to be integrated into the site layout before those decisions are locked in. Projects that bring a South Carolina landscape architect into the land planning conversation early consistently produce cleaner submittals and fewer revision cycles through the state’s development review processes.
SC landscape architecture is regulated by the SC Board of Landscape Architectural Examiners; most commercial site permits requiring landscape plans require a licensed LA’s seal.
SC requires landscape architecture firms — not just individuals — to hold a COA to practice in the state. Evergreen holds COA #412.
We deliver all landscape architecture scope as a subconsultant with drawing sets formatted to integrate directly with civil plan packages — no reformatting required.
Scope Your South Carolina Project with Our Team
If you have a commercial or multifamily project anywhere in South Carolina and need a licensed landscape architect — for land planning, tree disposition plans, planting plans, irrigation design, hardscape, or full-scope landscape architecture — contact Evergreen Design Group. We’ll review your project details and provide a clear proposal. Most projects receive a response within one business day.
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